Author's Note: Hey everybody! Sorry it's taken me so long to update. =/ I really wanted to write today so here it is. And this is a short chapter but the next one won't be so short... I think. I've appreciated the reviews and the favorites! =D For some reason fanfiction has been uncooperative lately. Not sure if anyone else is having the same issues. I can't view the reviews and I don't want to search through my email 'saved' file. So I'll give shout-outs when things are working again. =) For now, enjoy the update!
Don't own anybody 'cept Inaya.
Chapter 4
Mozenrath was pouring over another volume late into the night. His dark eyes scanned over a sentence but if anyone had been looking carefully, they would have noticed he'd read the same line several times now. The sorcerer's thoughts were else where - mainly on his apprentice. Cursing himself and slamming the book shut, he paced across the stone floor. Why can't I get her out of my head?
Ever since he had seen her that morning in the new outfit, clean and kept, Mozenrath just couldn't get over the transformation. She certainly wasn't a great beauty but she wasn't ugly either. Her attitude was a little irritating but it also amused him because he knew it to be a front. She was terrified of him and he knew it but she didn't want to show it. Inaya was an oddity - one he could poke and prod without fear of completely breaking her.
"I need to continue my research." He mumbled to himself, forcing his confusing thoughts away. Mozenrath walked back to the table with it's flickering candles and stacks of dusty books and scrolls. He needed to plan the demise of the deserts - most specifically Agrabah.
Inaya folded her arms over her chest and glared at Mozenrath. "I will not do that!"
His dark brown eyes returned the death-like glare. "You are my apprentice and this is what I use my magic for. Now do it!"
She shuddered. "Just because you like to reanimate dead bodies does not mean I do or want to! That's just gross!"
"I don't care if you don't want to. This is part of your training now do it!" Mozenrath's patience was thinning. "Or do you want to spend more time with my Mamluks?"
"Fine! Fine." Inaya turned to look at the decaying corpse that was laid out on the table before her. Gulping back the bile that was threatening to come up, she placed her hands a few inches over the body. Recalling the spell the necromancer had taught her, Inaya pushed the magic outward. The new Mamluk began moaning and thrashing until the young woman quickly stepped back, hiding her hands behind her back.
"Not bad for your first try." Mozenrath grudgingly admitted as he sent his newly acquired minion out of the room.
Inaya scowled as she rubbed her hands against her outfit. She was going to throw this outfit away and spend the whole night in the bath. "May I go read some books now?" She would gladly read the entire library if it meant staying away from Mozenrath and his legion of the undead.
He smirked at her obvious discomfort. "Perhaps we should have you try again. Practice makes perfect you know."
"Well I don't -" Inaya bit her tongue. She knew he would make her do it again if she said she didn't want to.
"Don't what, Inaya?" The sorcerer stepped toward her, waiting for her answer.
Shaking her head she refused to meet his gaze. "I - I don't - um - what I mean is - well -"
Mozenrath turned his attention to Xerxes, who was cowering behind some books. "Send the Mamluks to fine another body."
"NO!" Inaya shouted, her eyes squeezing shut. She felt like she was going to be sick.
"What was that?" The man asked turning to look at her.
"I - I said no." She whispered.
Leaning down so that he was near her ear, Mozenrath said, "Nobody says no to me."
Something snapped inside of her head. Inaya sent a quick shove to his chest and kicked out her leg to knock his legs from beneath him. She stepped back quickly, preparing to strike should she need to. "Well I just did!" Her whole body was shaking. She knew this would be bad.
"Wrong answer." He sent a blast toward her but she successfully blocked it. Mozenrath knew her limits and knew that since he had sparred with her that morning, she wouldn't have enough energy to protect herself for long. "Where do you plan on running, Inaya?" He stood slowly, his gauntlet glowing blue. He watched as her eyes darted toward the door and toward the covered window. "Even if you could get to the door, you'd have to deal with my minions. And you can't fly out the window. If you managed to escape, how long would you last in my desert?" Mozenrath growled angrily, "Face it, you have no place to run."
Inaya shook her head and attacked this time. He blocked her attempt effortlessly and managed to send a blast of his own. The pair circled each other like this, Mozenrath getting in hits while Inaya did not. As he predicted, her stamina lagged. His next attack sent her reeling toward one of the bookshelfs. Striding quickly toward the girl, who was struggling to stand, Mozenrath lifted her by the throat and backhanded her across the face. He kicked her, beat her, and blasted her with magic. His vice-like grip yanked her head up by her hair so she was looking up at him. "You will never defy me again."
"Mozenrath!" Xerxes darted between the sorcerer and his sobbing apprentice. The eel hissed at his master and coiled around Inaya's shaking shoulders.
Mozenrath's scowl deepened. "What are you doing, Xerxes?"
"Master like Destane." Xerxes hissed again, nuzzling the young woman's bruised cheek. Mozenrath's eyes widened at the short statement. He stood staring down at the girl now curled up in a ball on the floor, sobbing. If he listened closely he could hear her begging for him to stop. As if a mirage, Inaya seemed to transform before the sorcerer's eyes into a small boy with an eel curled comfortingly around his shoulders. The boy's dark eyes, filled with tears, rose to stare him in the face.
With a shake of his head, Mozenrath saw the boy disappear and Inaya was in his place, still curled up in a ball. The angry glow around his hands disappeared and the man knelt down awkwardly beside her. "Inaya." He reached out a hand to touch her shoulder but she tried jerking out of his reach. Xerxes glared at the sorcerer but made no attempt to stop the man. With a sigh, Mozenrath gently yet firmly grabbed a hold of the girl and lifted her into his arms. She struggled to get out away from him but was so weak that her efforts were in vain. With a small amount of magic, Mozenrath cleared off one of his tables - one he used for books and not his experiments - and gently set her down on it. "Xerxes, go get the ointments and bandages." The eel hurried off in search of the objects requested and returned just as quickly.
The sorcerer started cleaning the many bleeding cuts and putting salve on the burns from his magic. Inaya's tears and whimpers silence but only because she was holding them back. She watched him through her swollen eyes with apprehension. The trio remained in silence. Once her injuries were cleaned and bandaged, Inaya cautiously slipped off the table, avoiding anymore contact with Mozenrath. He stared at her for several seconds more before saying, "Let this be a lesson to you. You may return to your room for the evening." He ignored the glare Xerxes was sending him.
Inaya nodded dumbly before she began limping toward the door. Xerxes floated after her, casting his own dark looks at the man. Once the pair were out of the laboratory, Mozenrath turned back to his table. His eyes stared unreadable at the traces of blood on the table.
The young woman stumbled into her bedroom. Xerxes hurried over to her bed and with his teeth pulled the covers down for her. She mumbled her thanks before collapsing onto the soft surface. She ignored the pain a moment longer until she had the covers surrounding her and the lights were out. Xerxes cuddled next to her head on the pillow. Tears trickled down her bruised and scratched face while she listened to the evening out of Xerxes' breathe. She whispered into the dark room, "I have to get out of here."
Poor Inaya. She's got a lame life. Mozenrath is moody. =P Please review! I enjoy reading them. =)
